Salt Lake Herald | 1909-07-31 | Page 11 | Actor Replies to Published Attack on His Character

I ACTOR REPLIES TO TOI I I PUBLISHED ATTACK LiT T AC ACI I ON HIS IllS CHARACTER Willard W illard Mack Admits His Wrongdoing Declares His Intentions Intentions Denounces Traducers and Defies His Enemies m Manager Frank M i e yesterday y brought to The Herald office stat m nt regarding a published attack on Willard Mack Muck I Mr fr Mack fack dictated tt t tte P following for tor The Thu ThI I Herald I In yesterdays Issue of the Tribune I Ivus II I we vall made the th victim of as a unfair unjust I tOO and cowardly attack as th the venomous pen en of the writer could make It To begin I with Salt Lake theatregoers know my faults fault I have heralded them myself far farind farand and ind near so that in raking up what is past and filling the nostrils of tho the people with the stench st of what has gone Is un unwise unwise wise unfair and shows a pitiful lack of to say sa the least common sense But Dut since the Tribune has se seen n tit fit to unearth what I am trying hard hurd to 10 bury perhaps thy th public of Salt Lake will listen to my side I came to Salt Lake a stranger and the people took me In Jn It was not long be before before before fore they discovered the weak spot in my armor I fell tell and they the forgave ms me m I Iwas Iwas Iwas was taken III ill with pneumonia and sent to the hospital and when I came out I Iwas Iwas Iwas was heavily in debt worried sick through it all and merely merel a shadow of my former self I tried to work I failed Nature was not ready for tor me to accept my usual routine of labor I was living on egg eggnogs eggnogs eggnogs one too many would me and I was helpless again But when the man or paper says that I was intoxicated in intoxicated Intoxicated upon the night that I was billed to appear ap r at the Grand viz July Tuly 4 hes a 9 liar and the truth is not in him I was earning calr earn Ing a rubber tube in my side the result of tho the recent operation and that I night in dressing I pulled it out Dr i Mayo fayo was in Seattle and it took Mr I Jensen and myself nearly nearl three hours to find Dr Flood who dressed the wound whereupon hereupon I dressed ded and went to the theatre It was waa then 8 p m The man management management of the theatre did not deem It wise vise to allow me to go on Inasmuch as asI 1 I would necessarily ne S have needed a stimulant stimulant stimulant lant to help helo me through the performance and this they the did not see fit to do claim claiming claiming ing In they tte would rather w wait ait a week and let Jet TIP me gain In a 11 little strength and then go on without any artificial help The follow tollow following followIng ing week I opened In Mizzoura and the Salt Lake press with the single exception of the Tribune were WEle very generous and forgiving The Tribune continued throughout the week to ignore my worn wort entirely which they had a most legitimate right to do But when they the continued on the second s nd week to slight alight and hurt me over again then our only redress was to tout tout jut ut out alt all advertising matter in n their papers which we did We were told in ina ina ina a rather subtle manner that It would do doue doUE dous ue us no good but we wo stood pat and put puta a line in fa our program to the effect that we did not advertise n said newspapers in order to let our patrons who read the Tribune I am Informed there are a few tew know the why wb and wherefore Admits His Wrongdoing Now after ignoring each other for two weeks the Tribune comes out with Its Us malicious attack upon me and my failures Now to the Salt Lake public this is my stand I have done wrong I know it Do the public think I am so thick skinned tint that I dont know when I have performed a most meat reprehensible act Does the Tribune think I have never felt the awful humiliation that any an man must feel who has publicly degraded himself But the Salt Lake public I have found I are arc not composed com of f people who like to kick a man when wIle hes rolling down In Instead Instead Instead stead they extended to me a helping hand and told me to Jet get up out of the utter cutter pull myself together and revive the trust and confidence they the had placed pla plaIn In me This I have done and God helping help helpIng Ing Ill continue If the he Tribune thinks It can hurt me with the theatregoers who already know my faults but are willing to help me It Is mistaken The rhe public Mr Ir Tribune like me because outside of my booze as you term It I have Itan been on the level in Salt Lake and my m weakness for liquor has been lae we only dirty thing you can ean ti tack k on to me mj That Thatis is pat past t and neither you nor anyone else elsecar elsecar car cap follow me around when I am doing tight right throwing mud from the past pant at ro roAnd me And by the way wag y had the Tribune criticism rn come front from anyone else elM save RYe one whose breath has smelled smelted of Old Crow for twenty years I might be tempted to remain silent But my sense senile of humor has always predominated consequently pardon me dear public If I have han a quiet laugh In conclusion Mr lr Tribune I am going to stay in Salt Lake City and continue con continue continue to justify the confidence and faith reposed In me Now you can write what you please ase but as a long as ae I stay right In Inthe Inthe Inthe the city of Salt Sail Lake Ill make your Judgment look took like a Canadian dime with witha a hole In It Signed Sl WILLARD MACK Statement Mr Ir Eldredge Mr Macks manager dic dictated dictated dictated the following statement st for The Tho Herald I can add little to what hat bat Mr Mack nan has already stated but I wish to state tate that I endorse heartily all his statements re regarding regarding regarding garding the Tribune article I am an anI Arm Am American rican citizen and also a sincere boost booster I er for the deal policy for tor every everyman everyman everyman man I 1 talked with Mr Mack Maek July 7 re regarding regarding regarding garding the advisability of his assuming his former place at the head of his com company compan company pany pan and did not chide him for his mis misdeeds misdeeds misdeeds deeds but simply took him for a man at atone atone atone one hundred cents on the dollar and we got together in a business sense I am a business man and I looked upon Air 11 r Macks reputation as an actor and his ability as an asset The Tribune dramatic critic state states that I am seeking to foist an undesirable person upon them I leave that to the judgment of ot Salt Lake peo pee people people pie I have advertised ed Mr Mack to the best beat o c my ability and the rep response nee In dollars and cents at the box office office has had been very far In tn excess S of oC my fondest expectations T Tie Tle e Tribune critic also springs another little Joke on the public when he states that th the large majority of theatregoers are readers of his sheet The latest report of ot the advertising com committee committee committee who ho investigated the circulation of all Salt Lake Lak papers disclosed dl the fact that this thia statement is ill a joke The Trib Tribune une tine dramatic editor Is also Joking when he states that a great Brat many people trou troubled troubled troubled bled the box asking the reason for the absence of advertising in the col columns of the Tribune I usually remain In the box office front from 10 a m the open openIng opening Ing In until midnight ht and the only Inquiry made of that nature was from two ne negroes negroes negroes groes and an Italian I am a former newspaper r man and certainly have hae spent too many years as aa a theatrical manager to imagine I can an control the editorial policy of eny en pap pa paper r by advertising in its columns Every paper has the tho right to 0 say just what it pleases but when that paper seeks to injure me or any an star I Iam Iam am lun am promoting and I know that tar Hal f to lIe he lIeman hea a man and doing right I intend to fight back and keep it up as long Ion as God gives me the brain pow r The Tribune critic says as that I should have added something to my m line on the program I thank him for the advice and my programs program com eom commencing Sunday night will read as follows fol follows follows lows Special notice to patrons We do donot donot donot not advertise in the Salt Lake Laka Tribune or Evening Telegram because of their un unfair unfair fair fait editorial attitude towards Mr III Mack MackI I have an indefinite lease on the th Grand theatre and by b arrangement with Pelton intend to remain there Indefinitely the only proviso In my lease Is that I am to play nearby cities when the tile Shubert attractions are playing the Grand Myself My elf and associates are looking look lookIng lookIng Ing over several locations with a view vie to building a permanent stock theatre where Mr Mack Miss Douglas and the Grand company can cont ue their enormously successful sUC run Tun TunI I intend to keep right on in the straight and narrow path oath and give the Salt Lake public the very velY best dramatic material obtainable in New York and abroad and I shall not be worried at all by the flea bites emanating from the Tribune editorial rooms PRANK FRANK M ELDREDGE